Gruumsh
Gruumsh is a Demon Prince and ruler of the layer of Tukor within the Abyss. Known as the Bastard Son, ''Gruumsh was a son of the Primordial Ogremoch that was consumed by battlelust in the conflict with the gods known as the Dawn War. Legends speak of Gruumsh being exiled by his own kind, while others say he was tricked into fighting an endless war in the realm of Tukor by the Mockery, whatever the case Gruumsh now rules his domain of warfare and strength. He is associated with orcs, ogres, goblins, trolls, and all manner of cruel creatures. History Much of the history of Gruumsh is recorded in the oral traditions of tribal orcs, though the most complete written account of the figure is kept within the Krontiz Empire, rumoured to be divided into many parts to prevent the knowledge of such an entity becoming widespread. Dawn War According to legend, Gruumsh was birthed in the Dawn War itself, the first thing the nascent entity did was slaughter those that had been born alongside it, only the strength of Ogremoch was able to subdue Gruumsh before unleashing it upon the gods. In what few accounts survive of those days, the bloodthirsty and terrible acts of Gruumsh stand out in an age that was marked by them. It can be said that Gruumsh butchered angelic hosts and if some accounts are to be believed, slew at least one god. In one telling of the tale of Grummsh, after a great battle in which he was victorious, the warrior refused to yield, turning upon his own forces and slaughtering them, drawing the attention of Ogremoch and the other primordials along with their own children. After Gruumsh had killed the mortal and elevated hosts of his father, he turned on the other titans among his kin. It was then when he had broken his fraternal bonds that Gruumsh had sealed his fate, legend speaks of the blood of the slain titans forming into shadow that grabbed and consumed Gruumsh, pulling him down into the earth from which he was birthed and cast into the darkest pits below, and as he fell he screamed and hacked and slashed with his great axe until he struck the bottom, and there, as the only thing within this domain of darkness, Gruumsh went to war. Another, more popular telling, ''The One Eyed Orc, centers around a wily jester coming across an orc that was about to raid the castle the fool had been hoping to become the official court comedian. As the tale goes the jester poses various ideas to the orc who becomes increasingly irritated by the fool but is so focused on his goal of smashing down the gate that he does not attack him, and as the jester keeps asking questions the orc is fooled into performing increasingly strange acts, from standing on his head, to letting the jester hold his axe leaving him without a weapon, to finally gouging out his own eye in order to throw it over the wall so he can see whats holding up the castle bridge. Eventually the orc is convinced that there are better opportunities elsewhere once the jester proves he has defeated the orc without touching him. Blood War For more on this, see here. Gruumsh's name became synonymous with the Blood War, Gruumsh leading his forces of demons forces that spilled forth from the River Styx and invaded the Empire of Turath. It is believed that Gruumsh was one of the major instigating factors in starting the Blood Ward, with his desire to slaughter driving other demonic forces. Alongside the demons of Gruumsh came creatures that the people of Turath named as orcs, creatures of violence and burning temper that could rival that of their master. In the final days of the Blood War Gruumsh was repelled by an elven hero, driving him back once again to Tukor, legends say he saw stabbed in the eye, destroying one of them, though other accounts claimed that the Demon Prince had already lost an eye and this new attack destroyed the other. Whatever the case Gruumsh is often depicted as having one eye, and his followers will pluck out their own in ceremonies before battle. Endless War Being once again forced out of the Material Plane, Gruumsh has turned upon the chaos of the Abyss becoming a self-destructive element that spreads from his realm of Tukor, which he only returns to once no more enemies remain to slay. Until such time as Gruumsh can be redirected, he will remain on the hunt for greater foes to fight, hunting the Demon Princes themselves, though most are far cannier than he and remain aloof in their layers of the Abyss. Description Gruumsh is in all accounts described as a brutish figure, as clay crudely bound together to form a vaguely humanoid shape that towers over his thralls. In his years in the Abyss his already warped flesh has been touched by that demon marked world, his body twisted and torn as he places it under greater stress in his quest to slaughter. It is said that besides rage, Gruumsh's greatest feeling is that of hunger, which he sates when his blows do not immediately slay a foe small enough to fit in his mouth he will promptly pluck the dazed creature from the battlefield and devour them whole. When Tukor drifts too far from other layers of the Abyss or some machinations of other Demon Princes keeps it isolated by clouds of astral fog, too prevent Gruumsh from completely annihilate his domain, his slaves and thralls will be sacrificed to him in great waves to placate his hunger, keeping the great creature lethargic and bound to his throne as his digests the souls offered to him. Such a culling takes a tremendous toll on the resources of Tukor, and Gruumsh's followers in the Mortal Realms will be urged to take slaves and captives to sacrifice to him to help ease the burden. Orcs It is widely believed that orcs are not a wholly native people to Tolas, as with the exception of the krontiz Empire, there have been no major orc civilizations known beyond the simple tribal societies that exist today. Many believe that it is from Gruumsh that orcs spawned, as the titan was wounded his blood spilled on the battlefields of the planes and from this spring the orcish race. What is known, is that orcs were not found on Farthrone prior to the Blood War, when they invaded the Empire of Turath alongside the demonic hordes seeking to crush the diabolical realm. This has been pointed to as evidence that they were created by Gruumsh, either intentionally or as some violent accident. Many orcs worship Gruumsh, though only the most feral truly embrace the bloodlust he has. Relationships with other Demon Princes Gruumsh is seen as a mad brute by most of the other Demon Princes, an embodiment of the chaos they have embraced corrupting the flesh of the primordial. Some see him as a useful tool to be directed against their rivals, with the machinations of other powers being the primary influence on the movements of Tukor around the cosmos rather than Gruumsh's own will driving his domain. Tukor A desolate plane of ravines and broken cliffs , Tukor itself has been attacked by Gruumsh, the demon prince having destroyed what natural geographical features had once existed. Pits of oozing liquid and blood stained rock are the only road markers in this plane. Denizens of the plane, besides wandering demons, include followers from the mortal realms and orcish creatures. Throne of Worlds One of the few structures that has not been destroyed by Gruumsh, though the lord of the realm has attempted to multiple times, a stone mountain built of material that resists the blows of the demons that crowd around it. It is believed to have been sent by Ogremoch, a piece of indestructible rock for his son to relent his fury against, or a test for Gruumsh to realise what his true strength should be used for. Gruumsh uses it as a throne when he takes residence in Tukor as it drifts across the cosmos, his thralls bringing sacrifices for him to devour or test his strength, those he finds unworthy he places upon spikes to writhe in agony, with those that survive this ordeal becoming an image of the monster that put them there.Category:Demon Category:Abyss Category:Fiends Category:Orc Category:Primordial Category:Ogre